Evans, J. J. Rev & Family - 1873

EVANS

Posted By: Janice Sowers (email)
Date: 11/23/2004 at 19:40:17

TIMES January 30, 1873 P3 C3-4

THE SAD DEATH OF REV. MR. EVANS AND FAMILY

The Lime Springs Herold gives the following particulars of the freezing of Rev. Mr. Evans and family, of which we made mention two weeks since:

On Thursday morning as we went to press we had heard of no deaths by the storm, but still thought it strange if we did not. Time passed on and no such news reached us until Thursday afternoon when we were told that Rev. J. J. Evans, together with his wife and two children had perished in the storm, the particulars of which, as given us by Mr. O. J. Thomas are are follows:

About 3 o'clock Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Evans hitched up his team, and in company with his wife, one daughter 4 years old, and an infant daughter 10 months old, drove to Mr. Thomas' three quarter of a mile east to spend the afternoon. They remained there until after tea, and about 6 or 7 o'clock started to go home. As the storm came from the west, in order to get home they were obliged to face it three quarters of a mile, which was utterly impossible. They kept their road, however, until they got within a quarter of a mile of home, when the task proved too much and they were finally lost upon the prairie. Not knowing where they were nor what to do, Mr. Evans got out of the sleigh (so says the little girl, who by the way, was saved) and went circling around it and at the same time talking with his wife, who remained in the sleigh so he would not get lost from her. After wandering about a few minutes, he came upon a small patch of hazel brush, and by this knew where he was; from there he went home, got two blankets and returned to the sleigh, wrapped them around his wife and infant, then took the little girl in his arms and went home. Upon his arrival at the house he found that the girl was badly frozen about the legs and arms, and spent sometime there in helping thaw her out with snow and kerosene oil. After this was done, he told his oldest boy (aged about 18) that his mother was freezing to death out on the prairie, "and at once started back to where he had left them, and was not seen again until he was found dead about Thursday noon.

The boy did not dare to go out that night to look for his father and mother, but Wednesday morning he got onto a horse and went to Mr. Thomas' where they had been visiting the day before, thinking they might have went back, as they could go with the storm much easier than they could go against it. But they had not been seen nor heard of by Mr. Thomas after they left there Tuesday evening. Young Evans was then joined by Mr. Thomas, and from there they went to Mr. Jones' thinking they might have gone there. But upon their arrival at Jones' they could learn nothing from them--they had not been seen nor heard of. This revealed the fact that they were yet upon the prairie, and of course frozen to death.

A few of the near neighbors was then apprised of the terrible calamity and a search for their lifeless remains was at once instituted. About 1 o'clock Wednesday afternoon Mrs. Evans was found frozen to death. She was yet in the sleigh with her head and body bent forward against the dash-board. (The horses had been unhitched from the sleigh and torned loose, but when this was done nobody knows.) Mrs. Evans was then taken to the house, when the search was resumed for Mr. Evans and the babe. This was continued without sucess until Thursday about 1 o'clock p.m. when he was found, with the infant, only a few rods from the sleigh. Mr. Thomas gives it as his opinion, that upon Mr. Evans' second arrival from the house to the sleigh he found his wife dead, and took the infant from her arms and started home with it, but instead of going west, as he should have done, he started off in a southwesterly course, directly away from home. When he was found, Thursday p.m. the infant lay at his back wrapped up in a blanket. Thus three of one family, husband, wife and infant daughter, have met a terible fate.

The little girl states, that before they were lost, her mother kept saying that she was freezing, and that the baby's head was also freezing, and that her father said several times, he was freezing also. She also says that when they found that they were lost and could go no farther with the team, her father got out of the sleigh and wanted to look for a house, but her mother begged him not to leave them as she was afraid of wolves, and that while they were there, a wolf came up to the sleigh and her father hit it on the head and scared it away. These three unfortunate victims of the late storm was burried yesterday-Tuesday. The little girl four years of age, it was first thought, would have to have both of her hands taken off, but as we write today, Tuesday, we are informed that she is getting along nicely, and that she will not have to suffer the loss of her hands. Five children of this family are now left at home both fatherless and motherless. The oldest is a boy about 18 years of age-the youngest a girl four years of age.